Houston Astros

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Carlos Gomez went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Gomez took an 0-for-5 in his first game with the Astros on Friday, but he's come through in each of the last two games, notching three hits on Saturday and a two-run single on Sunday. He hit .262/.328/.423 with the Brewers, but if he's able to stay healthy, we could see a rejuvenated hitter as the Astros battle for a playoff spot.

Collin McHugh turned in an impressive start in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks, tossing seven innings of one-run ball.

McHugh struck out six and walked one while scattering eight hits over his seven innings of work. The lone run to score against him came home on an RBI double by Jake Lamb in the second inning. This would be the only run the Astros allowed in the game. McHugh moved to 13-5 with the victory and now holds a 4.27 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 108/34 K/BB ratio across 139 innings. A road start against the A's awaits him on the schedule.

He allowed just one hit over seven shutout frames. 64 of his 91 pitches Saturday went for strikes. It was the 24-year-old's first double-digit strikeout game since August 26. The seven-inning performance was Appel's longest since getting promoted to Fresno on June 27. The former No. 1 overall pick could join the Astros when rosters expand in September.

Velasquez lost his spot in the rotation when the Astros acquired Scott Kazmir from Oakland last week. The 23-year-old performed admirably during his first big league stint, compiling an impressive 9.29 K/9 in nine appearances. He'll work in a relief role in the minors in order to keep his workload down and could help the big club in a bullpen role at some point.

Hank Conger hit a solo home run and a grand slam in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

The Astros were teeing off on Jeremy Hellickson and the Diamondbacks, with both Conger and Carlos Correa posting two-homer games. It was Conger who came away with the more impressive performance, though. He smoked a solo homer off of Hellickson in the third inning, then crushed a grand slam an inning later to help drive Arizona's starter from the game. Neat game for Conger, who hit ninth in the contest. He's done a nice job in limited action this season and is hitting .254/.352/.508 with eight homers and 20 RBI over 122 at-bats.

Dallas Keuchel improved to 13-5 after defeating the Diamondbacks on Saturday, tossing six innings of two-run ball in the 9-2 victory.

Keuchel struck out eight, but also walked three. The free passes led to two runs in the second inning, including one that scored when the All-Star offered ball four to Ender Inciarte with the bases loaded. The 27-year-old southpaw calmed down after all that silliness, though, shutting out the Diamondbacks the rest of the way. Keuchel's consistently great play has put him in the AL Cy Young conversation, as he holds a 2.35 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 140/37 K/BB ratio over 157 innings. He'll head to Oakland for a road outing against the A's in his next scheduled start.

Jason Castro blasted a three-run home run on Friday, but it wasn't enough to lead the Astros to victory over the visiting Diamondbacks.

Castro's towering blast came off Diamondbacks starter Rubby De La Rosa as part of a four-run fourth inning. Unfortunately, that would wind up being the extent of the Astros offense in the ballgame as they would fall in 10 innings. It's the second straight day that the hard-hitting backstop has gone deep, and he's now hitting .216/.282/.381 with nine homers and 25 RBI on the season.

Scott Feldman pitched decently in Friday's no-decision against the Diamondbacks, allowing three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Feldman punched out three and didn't issue a walk in the ballgame. With Thursday's acquisition of Mike Fiers it remains unclear whether it will be Feldman or Collin McHugh who gets bumped from the Astros rotation, so Feldman needed a decent effort on Friday to state his case.

Jason Castro hit a game-winning homer in the bottom of the ninth as the Astros topped the Angels 3-0 on Thursday.

Castro was making his first start of the series. The big blast gave him his first RBI since July 3, his first homer since June 12 and his first three-RBI game since last year. Hank Conger probably deserves to keep starting two out of every three games for now, but if Castro does pick it up offensively, it's no secret that the Astros prefer his defense behind the plate.

Kazmir ended up allowing just two runs -- one earned -- in 34 innings for the July, though with just two wins, it might not be enough to get him Pitcher of the Month honors. His overall ERA is all of the way down to 2.10.

Astros acquired OF Carlos Gomez and RHP Mike Fiers from the Brewers for OF Domingo Santana, OF Brett Phillips, LHP Josh Hader, RHP Adrian Houser and international bonus slot #76.

The dynamic 29-year-old outfielder was nearly traded to the Mets on Wednesday evening before the deal fell apart due to financial issues. Their loss, is a huge gain for the Astros though who will add another monster bat to an already dangerous lineup. In 74 games with the Brewers this season, Gomez was hitting .262/.328/.423 with eight homers, 43 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Astros acquired RHP Mike Fiers and OF Carlos Gomez from the Brewers for OF Domingo Santana, OF Brett Phillips, LHP Josh Hader, RHP Adrian Houser and international bonus slot #76.

The Astros now boast a very strong top four hurlers in their rotation, as Fiers likely slots in behind Dallas Keuchel, Scott Kazmir and Lance McCullers. The 30-year-old right-hander boasts a 3.89 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 121/43 K/BB ratio through 118 frames on the year and should benefit from a move away from the launching pad that is Miller Park.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Astros have acquired Mike Fiers along with Carlos Gomez from the Brewers in exchange for prospects.

Fiers will certainly help to bolster the Astros rotation, that now boasts Dallas Keuchel, Scott Kazmir and Lance McCullers at the top. The 30-year-old owns a 3.89 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 121/43 K/BB ratio over 118 innings on the season.